Odonatologica 5 (2): 143-152 June I, 1976 SomeTibetanexpressions for ”dragonfly”, with special reference to the biologicalfeatures and demonology M.A.J.E. Kiauta-Brink Department of Animal Cytogenetics and Cytotaxonomy, University of Utrecht, Padualaan 8, Utrecht, The Netherlands Communication No. 22 ofthe Netherlands Centre for Alpine BiologicalResearch, Utrecht Received February 9, 1976 / Accepted February 23, 1976 Six Tibetan expressions for viz. "dragonfly'', "sgo.ha.nas.t'on.pa" "c’u.rkah.rten.'bu", "c’u.srin.rgyaLmo" , "a.c'og.ts'aLpa", "p’ye.leb.sog.bzi" and ”a.ts'ags.ts’ags.pa", as obtained from autochtonous Tibetan informants or in bio- mentioned in various dictionaries, are discussed the context of the logical features of dragonflies and Tibetan demonology. In Tibetan, like in South-East Asia, the dragonfly names appear emotionally neutral; the dragon- is fly considered neither a lovable nor a frightening creature. This is at variance with the expressions in the Ear East (China, Japan), where the dragonfly is generally respected and admired, while in European cultural areas its appel- lations often incur a superstitious dislike. INTRODUCTION The term "dragonfly” is one of the standard items of dialectological allasses and word lists. Its various dialectal forms were listed, in several languages, as early as 1793 by NEMNICH, while in the modern linguistic literature its etymology has been dealt with monographically (or nearly so) in such standard works (JABERG as e.g. the Sprach- und Sachatlas Italiens und Südschweiz & JUD, 1930, No. 479) and the Deutscher Wortatlas (item No. 98; cf. map NITSCHE, 1965). The importance of the term in dialectological research is demonstrated also by the fact that the "dragonfly" is included also in the Swadesh 100-word list. As such, it has been dealt with, without etymology, for 144 M.A.J.E. Kiauta-Brink some languages of the Tibeto-Burman (Sino-Tibetan) group spoken in Nepal (LEHMAN, 1970; HALE, 1973), while a few etymological notes, for some of the languages of the same group, were furnishedby KIAUTA (1973). Tibet Just as in China and Japan (cf. ASAH1NA, 1974), in too, dragonflies represent one of the requisites of the traditionalmateria medica (cf. RECHUNG R1NPOCHE, 1973). Though it is likely that they found their way into the recipes of the Tibetan medical literature from the classical Chinese Pen Tshao (cf. CHU & KAO, 1950; KON1SH1 & ITO, 1973), they are apparently used much less frequently in Tibet than in China and Japan. Anyway, dragonflies are in lacking among the medicinal materials both of the Ayurveda as used Tibet well the medicine (CHANDRA, 1971) as as in rGyud.bzi (POZDNEEV, 1908). Contrary to the situation in some areas of South-East Asia, in Tibet dragonflies are not used as human food (cf. ABDULLAH, 1975). The present report is the first in a series on the etymology of Tibetan insect nomenclature, the field work on which has been commenced during the Second Nepal Research Mission of the Netherlands Centre for Alpine Biological Re- search all Tibetan (1973). Its aims are: (1) to analyze etymologically expressions ” ” for dragonfly known to the author both as appearing in various Tibetan dictionaries from and as collected her Tibetan informants, and (2) to indicate, where possible, the etymological parallels in dragonfly nomenclature between Tibetan and other languages. Contrary to the European cultural area or China and Japan, in Tibet the does not be well-known and dragonfly seem to a very insect, it is apparently much less rooted the of in deeply in consciousness the people than many and Asian the Tibetan but European countries. Consequently, language possesses relatively few expressions for this insect. Nevertheless, some parallels could be detected between the etymology of the Tibetan epitheta and that of those other cultural existing in areas though, in general, Tibetan dragonfly nomencla- ture does bear and reflects relation of Tibetan a peculiar spirit a very specific a man to this insect, which is certainly, for a great deal, quite different from that found in countries of other cultural traditions. should be stated Finally, it that, contrary to the beliefs of some non-entom- based the ologists, on prevailing rough and arid climate, high altitude and the peculiar topography, dragonfly fauna of many Tibetan areas is rather rich, particularly so in the southern and eastern regions, though it is entomologically but very little explored (cf. e.g. McLACHLAN, 1894, 1896). SOURCES OF MATERIAL In six Tibetan terms discussed the for all, are in present note. Save one, all refer to adult insects. Three of these have been obtained from our Tibetan the informants, others were collected from the following dictionaries: DAGYAB Tibetan dragonfly names 145 (1966), DAS (1973), DHONGTHOG (1973), GIRAUDEAU & GORE (1956), JASCHKE (1972), KAZI LAMA (1973) and KOWALEWSKY (1941). The transliteration system adopted is a slight modification of that of JASCHKE (1972). As informants served: (1) a Khampa (k’ams.pa ) refugee, who arrived in Nepal child foot of as a in the 1950’s, and who is now running a kind of business at the the Svayambhunat, Kathmandu; he speaks fluent Nepali, fairly good English, and does master Tibetan in writing to the extent he learned as a child first in a monastic school in Amdo, and later in a refugee school in Nepal; — (2) a learned Lama from Chamdo ( c’ab.mdo), associated with the Wellcome Institute for the of and Switzerland. History Medicine, London, now residing in The informants have given the names after having been shown material of the following species respectively: (1) dead specimens of adult Ischnura aurora (Brauer), Acisoma panorpoides (Rambur), Crocothemis erythraea (Brulle), Diplacodes trivialis (Rambur), Orthetrum pruinosum neglectum (Rambur), O. sabina (Drury), Palpopleura sexmaculata (Fabricius), and Rhyothemis variegata (L.); — (2) black-and-white photographs and dead specimens of larval and adult Lestidae, Calopterygidae, Aeshnidae and Libellulidae. While our Khampa informant clearly recognized the zygopteran Ischnura aurora as a dragonfly, the Lama stated that the terms he has given apply solely to the anisopteran adults and larvae. It is interesting to note that none of the adult members of a refugee family from southern Tibet, not far from the Bhutanese frontier, living now in Switzer- land (cf. BRINK, 1976), to whom we have shown colour photographs ofvarious insects, was able to state any Tibetan term for dragonfly, though all of them did ” recognize them as the German Libelle”, and did know the Tibetan expressions for most of the other insects demonstrated (e.g. butterfly, bumblebee, beetle). REVIEW OF THE TERMS, WITH DISCUSSIONS ON THEIR POSSIBLE ETYMOLOGY SGO.NA.NAS.T’ON.PA This is like ’’the hatched a very general expression, meaning something one from an egg”, and is usually applied by Tibetans to birds, although under the ” ’ keyword larva' it is listed by DHONGTHOG (1973: 244). We were surprised, therefore, that our Lama informant from Chamdo, after having inspected a number of zygopteran and anisopteran exuviae and photographs of larvae, stated that this should of be the name the anisopteran larvae, and stated explicitly that he did not know any term applicable to the larval stage of the Zygoptera. 146 M.A.J.E. Kiauta-Brink C’U.RKAN.RTEN.’BU ” ” With the French keyword libellule this word is mentioned by GIRAU- DEAU & GORE (1956; 168). Literally it means ”with-the-legs-on-the-water- resting-insect” and is thus based on a superficial observation of dragonfly behaviour. C’U.SRIN.RGYAL.MO The term is listed by DHONGTHOG (1973: 122) and KAZI LAMA (1973: 236) with the English keyword "dragonfly”, without which we would be unable to recognize a dragonfly name in it, since, literally, it means ’’the queen of water insects”. The key of the etymology of the word is the meaning assigned to the term "srin". The latter has, in different composita, a number of meanings: — (1 )srin of - ’bu.srin is a kind disease (DAGYAB, 1966: 734); (2) srin.bu (= srin. ’bu) or stands for — and insect, worm, vermin (JASCHKE, 1972; 582); (3) srin.po srin. mo are deities of the pre-Buddhist Tibetan pantheon (DE NEBESKY- WOJKOW1TZ, 1956: 280), identified with râksasa rdksasT, (DAS, 1973: , resp. 1290). According to JÀSCHKE (1972: 582), they are supposed to be, for the most part, of an enormous size and generally hostile to mankind. The Tibetans said to be the descendants of emanated are even an ape (sent by, or from, Avalokiteshvara) and of a Tibetan srirumo\ — (4) c’u.srin is the Capricorn of the Zodiac, and stands for water or sea monster (JÀSCHKE, 1972; 159;DAGYAB, 1966: 208). c’u.srin is listed by DAS (1973: 421) in the compositum c’usrin.- the of standard rgyal.mts’an, being name a king whose royal was a crocodile, in Sanskrit; hence that c’u.srin and makara the makaradhvaja, we may say are same kind of Makara Sanskrit and also creatures. is a term, may mean a ’’particular species of insect or other small animal”, in which meaning it is used in Suśruta (MON1ER-WILLIAMS, 1974: 771). Since the makara is a reptile-like creature cf. 1973: (resembling a crocodile, a snake, a dolphin or a turtle; DAS, 421; inclined believe JÀSCHKE, 1972: 582; SCHMIDT, 1969: 159), one would be to evidence the term to apply also to the aquatic larval stage. There is, however, no for this at all. It is certainly due to its large size that the Tibetans call the dragonfly by this ” ” name. In German too, the dragonfly may be called Wasserkdnigin (NITSCHE, ” ” 1965) and in English kingfisher (SAROT, 1958). Tibetan dragonflynames 147 A.C’OG.TS’AL.PA This term does not appear in any of the consulted dictionaries.